Printer slotter



arch 8,1938.

T. s. FITCH ETT PRINTER SLOTTER Filed Jan. 4, '1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 T. S. FITCHETT PRINTER SLOTTER March 8, 1938.

Fild Jan. 4, 1936 3 SheetS-Sheet Z we w an 8, 1938. T. s. FITCHETT 2,110,212

PRINTER SLOTTER Filed 'Jan. 4, I936 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 I I I IIIII I w 9 I I Patented Mar. 8, 1938 i T E STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,110,212 PRINTER SLOTTER Application January 4, 1936, Serial No. 57,508

11 Claims.

This invention relates to a printing and slotting machine primarily used for making carton blanks from corrugated sheet material. It has been customary to operate such a machine to deliver approximately one hundred sheets per minute and at such slow speeds the machines previously available have been fairly satisfactory.

Increased production has required that ma- ]O chines be developed that will deliver from two hundred to two hundred and fifty sheets per minute and the pile of corrugated board on the feed table sometimes weighs several hundred pounds. These separate sheets or boards are 15 delivered to the printing and slotting rollers of the machine by a reciprocating feed which has to take the sheet from a stationary position and accelerate its speed until it is moving through the machine at a speed of approximately one 90 thousand lineal feet per minute. The constant reversal of this reciprocating feed, calling for between four hundred and. five hundred reversals per minute, has previously required a machine of very heavy and expensive construction. The

former practice has been to make the presser rollers and impression cylinders hereinafter generally referred to as presser rollers, vertically adjustable. The purpose of this has been to permit the use of the machine on several thicknesses of corrugated board. The use of diiferent thicknesses of corrugated board has now become quite prevalent because of the expense saved in the use of the thinner board for many operations. This vertical adjustment of the presser rollers requires that the lower section of the printer slotter have many vertical cutaway portions therein to accommodate the sliding blocks for the bearings of the shafts carrying these rollers. This vertical cutting up of the lower section of the printer slotter side frames imparted to them a very considerable weakness in view of the constant reciprocating motion applied to the machine by the feed and the intermittent strain applied to the rollers by the passing of successive blanks between the same. This vertical cut construction of the side frames necessitated excessively heavy material in the side frames so that adequate support could be given to the presser rollers. I

Such machines have always been driven from one source of power and power has been transvmitted from one roller to another through the use of intermediate gears. Usually, with the vertical adjustment, intermediate gears, geared together, were likewise geared to the shafts of upper and lower rollers. Likewise these intermediate gears were geared to other intermediate gears in order to transmit the power on to the successive printing, scoring and slotting rollers and.other lower presser rollers. Such structure involved the use of many gears and on vertical adjustment of the presser rollers con siderable idling of the gears took place which caused backlash, especially at high speeds.

Among the objects of this invention are the making of a machine of this type which may be made much lighter and less expensive than the former machines and which will operate at this increased speed without placing undue strain upon any of the parts of the machine. Another object of the invention is to eliminate a number of these intermediate gears so that at the increased speed there may be less backlash and free play of the various rollers. Other objects and advantages of the new construction will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the feeding end of the machine.

Figure 2 is a similar view of the delivery end of the machine.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view of the intermediate pull rollers showing the eccentric adjustment of the lower pull roller.

Figure 4 is a sectional view on line 4, 4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a plan View of the adjustment shaft with the locking means therefor.

In the drawings similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views. The side frames I, 2 are mounted on base 3 and the sections of said frames at the delivery end of the machine are rigidly attached to this base, as shown in Figure 2. The feeding end sections of these frames as shown in Figure 1 are slidable on this base through means of racks and pinions 4, 5, the latter being turned by handle 6 and the shaft of pinions 5 passing across the machine. The racks 4 are rigidly fixed on 45 the feeding sections of the machine. The sections are locked together by means of locking mechanisms 1 duplicated on both sides of the machine and operated by lever B. The sections may thus be separated so that the operator can readily have access to the printing rollers to adjust the type plates thereon.

The printer slotter shown has initial pull rollers 9, l0, printing cylinders II and 12, with intermediate pull rollers therebetween l3, l4, and back of printing roller [2 is scoring roller I5, and this is then followed by slotting roller l6. After the boards have been delivered from the machine they pass to conveyors I! from which they are removed by the operator in their completed condition.

The boards are fed to the initial pull rollers 9 and I9 from stack l8. This stack is pushed against an adjustable upright or gauge l9'which allows only the lower sheet of board topass beneath the same. The stack of boards is held in position at its other end by upright 29 which may be adjusted lengthwise of the bed holding the stack and is held fast thereto by bolt 2|. This upright 29 is composed of several sections placed horizontally across the bed and has projecting therefrom supports 22 on which the rear end of the stack rests. Between these uprights 29 pass spring held reciprocating feed fingers 23 having thereon pull sections 24 which, when the fingers have passed back of the sheet, spring up and in their nextreciprocation pull off the bottom sheet and feed the same to the initial pull rollers.

These fingers 23 are fast on a horizontal bar 25 rigidly attached to member 26 which is reciprocated by lever 21.

The initial printing cylinder If is shown ashaving inking mechanismgenerally indicated at 29 and the next printing cylinder 12 as having inking mechanism generally shown at 29. Type plates 39 are shown on cylinder II and 3| on cylinder l2. The slotting cylinder is shown as having knives 32 thereon.

The rollers are driven from a motor 33 operating a Reeves drive 34 which has thereon a gear 35, driving gear 36, and the shaft of gear 36 has thereon another gear 3'! driving gear 38 which, in turn, drives gear 39, and gear 39 drives gear 49 on the shaft of the first printing cylinder H. The reciprocating lever 2! is reciprocated by means of being connected to a pin. The reciprocating lever 21 is reciprocated by means of being connected by a pinto rocking lever 11, keyed to the center of rocking shaft 12. Rocking shaft 72 obtains its rocking motion from the frame 13 keyed thereto and in which reciprocates a sliding block M carrying a ball bearing, the axis. of which forms a pin on one side of gear 38, whereby the rotation of gear 38 moves the sliding block 14 up and down in the frame 13 and rocks the same back and forth. Gear 31 on the shaft of lower pull roller I9, the shaft of which is mounted on bearings fixed in the side frames 1, 2 of the machine, drives a gear on the shaft of upper pull roller 9 to rotate the same. Upper pull roller 9 is pivotally mounted on swinging arms 15 pivoted to the side frames of the machine. This upper pull roller 9 is resiliently held in its adjusted position by means of shaft 11 passing through the ends 16 of arms 15 and it is. held down by spring 18. This structure is old'in the art and is therefore shown only diagrammatically. It will be apparent that the side frames are solid and therefore not weakened vertically between these upper and lower initial pull rollers 9 and I9. The side frames are also solid vertically between the upper and lower intermediate pull rollers 13 and 14 so that the side frames are not weakened vertically by either the pull roller adjustments or the adjustments-on the printing and slotter presser rollers. From gear '49 on the shaft of printing cylinder ll, gear 4| transmits power to the inking rollers 29.

Gear 49 likewise transmits power to-intermediate gear 42 which transmits the power on to gear 43 on the shaft of printing cylinder [2. From this gear 43 power is transferred to another intermediate gear 44 which drives the inking mechanism 29 and also the gear 45 on the shaft of the scoring roller l5, and the gear 46 on the shaft of the slotter roller l6.

The impression cylinder 4'! for printing cylinder H has on its shaft, gear 48 which is driven from gear 49. The shaft 49 of this impression cylinder, herein sometimes referred to as a presser roller, is now mounted in an eccentric bearing so that the cylinder may be adjusted toward or from the shaft of impression cylinder H. The adjustment of this shaft is identical to that of shaft 59 for the intermediate pull roller l4, and will be described in detail in relation thereto. The adjustment of impression cylinder for printing cylinder I2 is of the same type as is also that of the lower roller 52 for the scoring roller 15 on its. shaft 53. The adjustment of shaft 54 carrying the lower roller 55 for the slotting roller i6 is of the sametype. All of these lower rollers, eccentrically adjustable as stated, are herein sometimes referred to as lower presser rollers because they all maintain the work up against the upper roller which either forwards or operates upon the board passing therethrough.

Gear 42 likewise drives gear 56 on shaft 51 of intermediate pull roller l3. Pull roller I3 is mounted in bearings with a lubricating means provided therefor, as shown in Figure 3. The roller has various pull members 58 thereon to pull the sheets through from the first printing cylinder to the second. The shaft 59 of lower pull roller i4 is mounted at each end in eccentric sleeve bearings with gears 59 on the outer ends thereof. Ball bearings 69 in these sleeve bearings allow complete rotary motion to the shaft 59 in these eccentric sleeves. Gear 6! keyed to shaft 59 and intermeshing with gear 56 rotates shaft 59 so that rollers 14 and l3'rotate in unison. The gears of sleeve bearings 59 may be rotated by gears 62 meshing therewith, and gears 62 are mounted on a shaft 63 extending through the machine, and the same may be turned from the square head 64 projecting from one side of the machine. The eccentric sleeve bearings are so placed in the side frames of the machine that rollers I3 and I4 are parallel and so that in any rotary position of the eccentric sleeve bearings they will remain parallel, but this rotating of the eccentric sleeve bearings will move the rollers l3 and I4 either nearer together or further apart so that different thicknesses of material may pass between the same.

After proper adjustment of the eccentric sleeve bearing to give the desired distance between the presser roller and the corresponding upper operating roller, it is desirable to lock the shaft 63 in its adjusted position, and this is done in the manner following: A plate 65 having a split collar 66 integral therewith for half the diameter of the collar 66, is bolted to the side frame I of the machine so that the collar 66 surrounds the shaft 63. The split collar 66 has upwardly projecting cars 61 thereon, and through these ears 6'! a bolt 68 is passed, the same being threaded to one ear 61, and the hole in the other ear being enlarged to permit free passage of the bolt therethrough. This bolt may be rotated for drawing the ears together by lever 69 having set screw 19 holding the same tightly on the bolt 68.

The eccentric bearing adjusting rods are identical in each case for the shafts 49, 59, 5|, 53 and machine.

54, and the square heads to turn the same have all be'en identified by numeral 64. Adjustment of the various eccentric bearings will allow varying thicknesses of board to be run through the Since the lower presser roller in each case is driven directly from gears on the shafts of theupper operating rollers, the teeth on these contacting gears might be a trifle longer than usual and the adjustments between the presser rollers and their operating rollers must not be so great as to throw these teeth out of mesh. Accurate timing is required between the various printing cylinders and the slotting roller and between the gears driving these operating rollers no adjustment is required and therefore the accurate timing may be maintained. Accurate timing of the lower rollers which rotate bodily in a circle during their eccentric adjustments is not required and therefore these eccentric adjustments do not throw off the timing of the machine. Since only one roller in each case is driven after being adjusted from each accurately timed driving roller and the only free play involved in running the complete machine is in these presser rollers and it has been found in practice that much less free play occurs in driving this machine at the high speed for which it is designed with thelower rollers being directly driven through gears from the upper rollers than was involved when the various intermediates were employed in driving the lower rollers from the upper rollers; Since the side frames do not have to be cut away to allow for the vertical adjustment of the lower presser rollers the side frames will be much stronger between the rollers longitudinally of the machine than has been possible where the vertically adjusted lower rollers have been used for the same strength, previously obtained by heavy side frames, much lighter side frames and less expensive frames may now be used- Also, the omission of the intermediate gears which are required by the vertical adjustment of the presser rollers, saves considerable in the expense of the production of the machine, these machines being subjected to a heavy intermittent load passing longitudinally through the machine and vertically between the rollers, subjecting the machine to very considerable stress when operated at the high speeds for which they are designed, and this eccentric mounting of the presser rollers absorbs this stress in a much lighter structure than has been possible with the more common vertically adjustable presser roller.

What is claimed as new and is desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A printer-slotter for sheet material comprising printing and slotting rollers, a presser roller parallel to and beneath each of said rollers to hold material thereagainst, all said rollers being mounted on shafts having gears thereon, means to drive said printing and slotting rollers independently of the drive of said presser rollers, each presser roller being driven directly by said gears from its respective upper roller, the shafts of said presser rollers being mounted at each end in eccentrically movable bearings, and means to rotate both bearings of each shaft simultaneously, whereby each presser roller shaft may be bodily moved in a circle and always maintained parallel to its respective upper roller shaft and the distance between said presser rollers and their respective upper rollers may be varied to accommodate different thicknesses of material therebetween.

2. A printer-slotter for sheet material comprising printing and slotting upper rollers, a presser roller parallel to and beneath each of said rollers to hold material thereagainst, all said rollers being mounted on shafts, means to drive all of said rollers, the printing and slotting rollers being driven independently of the presser rollers, and each presser roller being driven from its respective upper roller the shafts of said presser rollers being mounted at each end in eccentrically movable bearings, and means to rotate both bearings of each shaft simultaneously, whereby each presser roller shaft may be bodily moved in a circle and always maintained parallel to its respective upper roller shaft, and the distance between said presser rollers and the respective upper rollers may be varied to accommodate different thicknesses of material therebetween, reciprocating means to successively feed sheets of material between said upper and lower rollers.

3. A printer-slotter for sheet material comprising upper printing and slotting rollers, a presser roller parallel to and beneath each of said rollers to hold material thereagainst, all of said rollers being mounted on shafts, means to drive said rollers, the printing and slotting rollers being driven independently of the presser rollers, and each presser roller being driven from its respective upper roller the shafts of said presser rollers being mounted at each end in eccentrically movable bearings and means to rotate both bearings of each shaft simultaneously whereby each presser roller shaft may be bodily moved in a circle and always maintained parallel to its respective upper roller and the distance between said presser rollers and their respective upper rollers may be varied to accommodate different thicknesses of material therebetween, means to successively feed sheets of material between said upper and lower rollers, vertical longitudinally extending side frames supporting the shafts and bearings of said rollers, said frames being longitudinally solid between the respective upper and lower rollers along the line of the passage of the material therebetween.

4. A printer slotter for sheet material comprising printing and slotting rollers, a presser roller parallel to and beneath each of said rollers to hold the material thereagainst, all said rollers being mounted on shafts having gears thereon, means to drive said printing and slotting rollers independently of the drive of said presser rollers, each presser roller being driven directly by said gears from its respective upper roller, the shafts of said presser rollers being mounted at each end in eccentrically movable bearings, and means to rotate both bearings of each shaft simultaneously, whereby each presser roller shaft may be bodily moved in a circle and always maintained parallel to its respective upper roller shaft and the distance between said presser rollers and their respectiveupper rollers may be varied to accommodate different thicknesses of material therebetween and reciprocating means to successively feed sheets of material between said upper and lower rollers.

5. A printer-slotter for sheet material comprising printing and slotting rollers, a presser roller parallel to and beneath each of said rollers to hold material thereagainst, all said rollers being mounted on shafts having gears thereon, means to drive said printing and slotting rollers independently of the drive of said presser rollers, each presser roller being driven through said gears by its respective upper roller, the shafts of said presser rollers being mounted at each end "in "eccentrically :movable'ibea-rings, and means to rotate both bearings of each shaft simultaneously, whereby each presser roller shaft may be "bodily moved in a -circle"and always maintained parallel to its respective upperroller shaft and the distance between said presser rollers and their respective upper rollers may be varied to accommodate ,difierent thicknesses of material therebetween, means to successively feed sheets of material between said upper and lower rollers, vertical longitudinallyextending side frames supporting the shafts and bearings of said rollers, "said frames being longitudinally solid between "the respective upper and lower rollers along the line'of thepassage of material therebetween.

' 6. A printer-slotter for sheet material comper rollers may be varied 'to accommodate different thicknesses of material therebetween, re-

ciprocating means to successively feed sheets of material between said upper andlower rollers, verticallongitudinally extending side frames supporting the shafts and bearings of said rollers, said frames being longitudinally solid between the respective upper and lower rollers along the line of the passage of the material therebetween.

'7. Aprinter-slotter'for sheet material comprising printing and slotting rollers, a presser roller parallel to and beneath each'of said rollers to hold'm'aterial thereagainstiall said rollers being mountedon shafts having gears thereon, means to "drive said printing and slotting rollers independently of the drive of said presser rollers, each presser roller being driven through said gears by its respective upper roller, the shafts :of said presser rollers being mounted at each end in eccentrically movable bearings, and 'means to rotate said bearings whereby each presser roller shaft may be bodily moved in a circle and the distance between saidpresser rollers and their respective upper rollers may be varied to accommodate difierent thicknesses of material therebetween, andmeans to lock said bearings in their adjusted positions.

8. A'printer-slotter for sheet material comprising printing and slotting rollers,means to drive s'aid rollers, a presser roller parallel to and beneat'h each of said rollers to hold material there- -against, all said rollers being mountedon shafts havinggears' thereon, each pressersroller being driven through said gwrs by its respective upper roller, the shafts ofisaid presser rollers being mounted at each end in eccentrically movable bearings, and means to rotate said bearings whereby each presser roller shaft may be bodily 'moved in a circle and the distance between said presser rollers and their respective upper rollers may bejvaried to accommodate different thicknesses of material therebetween and means to lock said bearings in their adjusted positions,

, vertical longitudinally extending side frames supporting the shafts andbearings of said rollers,

said frames beinglongitudinally solid between therespective upper and lower rollersalong the line-of the passage of material therebetween.

9. A printer-slotter for sheet material com- ;prising printing andslotting rollers, means to drive said rollers, a presser roller parallel to and beneath each of said rollers to hold material thereagainst, all saidrollers being mounted on shafts having gears thereon, each presser roller 'beingdriven through said gears by its respective upper roller, the shafts of said presser rollers being mounted-at each end in eccentrically movable bearings, and means to rotate said bearings whereby eachzpresser roller shaft may be bodily moved-zin a circle and the distance between said presser-rollers and their respective upper rollers may ,be varied to accommodate different gthicknesses of material therebetween and means to lock said bearings in their adjusted positions, vertical longitudinally extending side frames supporting the shafts and bearings of said rollers,

said [frames being longitudinally solid between the respective upper and lower rollers along the line of the passage :of material therebetween, said side frames being vertically divided adjacent said printing roller to allow access to said printing roller, means to separate said divided sections and means to 'lock the same together.

' 10. A printer-slotter for sheet material comprising printing and slotting rollers, means to drive said rollers,'a presser roller parallel to and :beneath each of said rollers to hold material thereagainst, all said rollers being mounted on shafts having gears thereon, each presser roller being driven through said gearsby its respective upper roller, theshafts of said presser rollers being mounted at each end in eccentrically movable bearings, and means to rotate both bearings of each shaft simultaneously, whereby each presser roller shaft may be bodily moved in a circle and always maintained parallel to its respective upper roller shaft and the distance between said presser rollers and their respective upper rollers'may be varied to accommodate different thicknesses of material therebetween,

means to successively feed sheets of material, between said upper and lower rollers, vertical longitudinally extending side frames supporting the shafts and bearings of said rollers, said frames being longitudinally solid between the respective upper and lower rollers along the line of the passage of material therebetween, said side frames being verticallydivided adjacent said printing roller to allow access to said printing roller, means to separate said divided sections and means to lock the same together.

"115A printer slotter for sheet material comprising upper printing and slotting rollers, a

presser roller parallel to and beneath each of said rollers to hold material thereagainst, all of said rollers-being mounted on shafts, means to drive said rollers, the printing and slotting rollers being driven independently'of the presser rollers, and each presser roller being driven from its respective upper roller, the shafts of said presser rollers being mounted at each end in eccentrically movable bearings, and means to rotate said bearings, whereby each presser roller shaft may "be bodily moved in a circle, and the distance between said presser rollers and their respective upper rollers may be varied to accommodate differentthicknesses of material therebetween, re-

ciprocating means to successively feed sheets of material between said upper and lower rollers.

THOMAS S. FITCHE'IT. 

